(CNN) – The top political videos of 2011 prove political ads and messages can go viral too, with President Barack Obama, Republican presidential candidates and Jon Stewart making the YouTube list.

The buzzed about commercial from former Republican presidential contender Herman Cain's campaign, featuring his chief of staff smoking, nabbed the ninth spot with over 1.7 million hits while his former rival Rick Perry's Christmas spot received over three times as many clicks.
In the ad, Perry says he'll counter Obama's "war on religion" and restore America's faith. A minute long web video from the former Texas governor that sharply criticizes the economy under Obama also made the top list with 2.1 million views.

Nineteen year old Zach Wahls received the top spot with nearly 16 million clicks. Wahls, who has two mothers, delivered a message at a public forum against an Iowa law that would end civil unions.

Obama's appearance before the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, in which he took playful aim at Donald Trump and the "birther" controversy, among other topics, was viewed over 9 million times. His cohort at the event, Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers, received over 2.5 million clicks for his appearance at the annual dinner.

But it was the president's May announcement that Osama bin Laden was dead that received the second spot on the list with 9.1 million views, followed by a "Government gone wild" video railing against federal spending with over 5 million clicks.

Comedian Jon Stewart's May head-to-head interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly and an ad by the National Republican Senatorial Committee rounded out the list with 1.8 million and 1.6 million views respectively.
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soundoff(4 Responses)

I watch the correspondents dinner footage over and over just to look at Trump's face while he was be clowned on. I never seen anyone turn so......pink.

December 20, 2011 01:58 pm at 1:58 pm |

Joi Gibson

Hey Grover,

Was that not the best? The look on Donald's face was just priceless.And President Obama was just so dapper. And what made it even more spectacular, was that all during the dinner, plans were in the works to take out Osama bin Laden.

Git er done!!!!! OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!!!!!!

December 20, 2011 02:27 pm at 2:27 pm |

T'sah from Virginia

LMAO@GROVER... I get a delight out of that too!!! He actually had a ROYAL PINK, if that is a color!!1

December 20, 2011 02:33 pm at 2:33 pm |

Rudy NYC

LMAO@GROVER... I get a delight out of that too!!! He actually had a ROYAL PINK, if that is a color!!1

What is really amazing is that his "natural" skin color appears to be orange.